1. Field of the Invention
The present application relates to an image forming apparatus capable of laying out a plurality of images of different scaling ratios on one sheet and a recording medium storing a computer program for causing a computer to form a plurality of images of different scaling ratios on one sheet.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, when intending to take a plurality of copies of one or a plurality of sheets of documents, to obtain desired copy images, the user sets the scaling ratio and the like, and takes a copy (trial copy) of only one sheet at first. Then, after confirming that the image is copied at the desired- scaling by checking the output result (copy image), the user takes copies of the remaining sheets.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2004-25750 discloses to print, on one sheet, a plurality of trial images corresponding to a plurality of print parameter values, respectively, based on the same input image.
However, the print parameter values described in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2004-25750 are hue, chroma, brightness, and sharpness, and no scaling ratio is set. Therefore, when the input image is a document of a nonstandard size and is printed on a sheet of a size (for example, a standard size such as A4 or B5) different from that of the document, when the output result is unsatisfactory, it is necessary to repeat once again an operation of changing the scaling ratio setting and performing trial copying.
In particular it is difficult to set an image read from a document of a nonstandard size, at a scaling ratio optimum for arranging the image in a size suitable for a sheet of a different size. The setting change requires time and trouble corresponding to the number of repetitions required until an optimum scaling ratio is found, and this increases the waste of transfer sheets, toner and the like.
Even in a case where the document is standard-sized, for example, an A4-size transfer sheet is used for an A3-size document, although reduced copying of (A4 size length/A3 size length) can be easily performed by using a widely known automatic scaling ratio changing function or using a mode in which the scaling ratio is automatically inputted by inputting only the document size and the transfer sheet size, when the margin around the image area of the document is large, it is difficult to form a copy image in the entire area of an A3-size transfer sheet.